Dr Rinaldo DiRicchardi–Reichard: PhD in Social Sciences/Ethnic studies and Migrations; Catholic Theologian (MA Sci), Anthropologian and Ethnologist, comes from the Sinti/Gypsy ethnic minority, from the Reichard family who is descendants of German–Austrian Sinti.
In the 19th century, the Reichard travelling Sinti temporarily stopped on Slovenian and Austrian ethnic territory, in the today’s Republic of Slovenia, and where they also remained. The author’s Gipsy childhood and youth had a profound effect on his later life as he came from a family that was originally a travelling one, moving a lot around Slovenia and former Yugoslavia with its entertainment parks and circuses (Travelling Sinti). In this way, the author experienced first–hand the ethnic as well as religious discrimination of Tito’s regime. All of his ancestors were affected by the Nazi bloodshed in the concentration camps of Dachau, Mauthausen, Auschwitz, Jasenovac and of Campo-Basso, and furthermore, those ancestors who joined the Partisans resistance movement from 1939–1945.
As a Travelling Sinto, he became familiar with many different Gipsy groups and soon came to realise that the Gypsies were a very heterogeneous people (religiously, linguistically, culturally, and ethnologically).
Despite some Gipsy tendencies towards the unification of the heterogeneous Gipsy groups into one Romani group, some groups still remain emic and exclusive. (The European Sinti never accepted unification with the Romani as they felt that there was an underlying political motive within this unification connected to the eastern communist
system, as well as the tendencies of some communist Romani who saw it as a means to gain power and financial advantages). This kind of mentality of the European Sinti is still very much etched into their historical memory as well as the primordial Sinti fear: Sinti are above all afraid of being
assimilated into the Romani ethnicity.
The author graduated from theological-philosophical studies at the Faculty of Theology/Philosophy in Ljubljana, Rijeka, and Zagreb, wherein 1990 he defended his Master of Science. On 2017 he also reached a doctorate of Science in the field of Social Sciences-Ethnic Studies and migrations.He is field researcher on Sinti, Romani, Gypsy Ethnic studies and Migration. Rinaldo is a Sinti poet as well.  
In 1988, he joined the order of the White Robe Missionary Monks of Saint Benedict; his missionary vocation was a social mission and mentorship among the Gypsies, Sinti, and Romani in various nongovernmental NGO's projects on a local, regional, and European level.
Today, the author and his ethnic community of Sinti (as well the Romani) are faced with the crony capitalism which is symptomatic of former eastern socialist systems, and which is reflected in the latent discrimination shown towards scientific research carried out by Sinti and Romani scientists who, despite their high level of education and scientific
research references are still not able to achieve University habilitation in the title/rank as lecturers or professors at Slovene Universities and Faculties.
For more than 30 years, he has been aiming his scientific field research work primarily into various interdisciplinary areas, from the fields of ethnology, cultural and social anthropology, sociology, religious studies, ethnic studies, and the migration of Indian travelling groups in Europe (the
Sinti, Romani Gypsies, Kale, and Manouches). Furthermore, he is an Independent Lecturer and Researcher and in that way can impart his knowledge to younger generations of students.
The author is a member of numerous scientific and expert associations, both at home and abroad. He has published 3 scientific monographs in Slovenia, as well as many expert and scientific articles, while also regularly participating in international conferences in his field of research.